


he is my dæmon and therefore one half of me. but both halves are entirely yours.

by sarahshelena



Category: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, Philip Pullman Works
Genre: Daemon Touching, F/F, My First Work in This Fandom, Reunion Sex, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-22 01:57:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6066334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahshelena/pseuds/sarahshelena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Serafina had given Mary one of the flowers from her crown and told her to call her name, should she ever need her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And one night Mary calls to her. And sees her again.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	he is my dæmon and therefore one half of me. but both halves are entirely yours.

Serafina Pekkala flew against the wind; it blew though her hair, stirring the crown of scarlet flowers nestled in the thick, rich curls.

"Can you feel it, Kaisa?" she called to her dæmon as he glided alongside her effortlessly, as unaffected by the buffeting winds as she.

The snow-goose turned his beautiful white head towards her in answer.

They were going to see Mary.

The shy, strong scientist Mary Malone had used the single forever blooming scarlet flower that Serafina had given her, calling to the witch-queen, and so Serafina flew into the sky, through an invisible rip in the atmosphere and into another world, feeling the change as we do when we walk from a cool interior out into the sunshine.

It was still night in this world, and the light of the moon was silken on the lunar-pale skin of her arms; she turned up her face in pleasure at the familiar sensation — that had suddenly shifted over her form as she passed from one world into another — the moonlight was the same but the stars felt different, aware somehow of the reason the witch-queen had entered their universe, understanding her purpose there and their light shone pure.

Taking strength from that, Serafina flew on.

* * *

Mary Malone lay wide awake in bed. The sheets were twisted around her legs and she kicked them away.

Her alpine chough-dæmon was perched on the back of a chair by her bed, as alert as she was and shifting from foot to foot.

Mary could see him now always, as clearly as she saw the world around her, though no one else, apart from Will, and Serafina Pekkala of course, knew of his existence.

It made her deeply sad that although she could converse with him and physically touch him, he still had no name. The regret festered in both their hearts like a sickness.

There was not a breath of wind or a creak of the window-frame to announce Serafina Pekkala's presence, and yet in a moment, there she was, long hair blown about her face and streaming down to her waist; strips of black silk clinging to her naked body like wisps of smoke, hardly clothing, barely covering her, yet keeping the modesty that no witch coveted nor needed.

Mary gasped and sat bolt upright in bed, holding the sheet to her heaving chest.

"Serafina," she breathed.

The witch's goose-dæmon glided through the open window and settled next to the black-feathered, yellow-beaked chough, clicking his beak in welcome and exchanging quiet words with the other dæmon.

"Greetings, Mary." Serafina said, "I come to you now in answer to your call. Look: I lay my bow down."

The witch-queen bent to place her weapons on the floor, but Mary stammered, holding her hand out in protest and Serafina became still.

"Why- why are you doing that? We have no enmity between us. You opened my eyes to my own soul," Mary spoke softly, eyes flickering over to her dæmon as he nestled against the white breast feathers of the snow goose, "...there is no need for tradition, or- or pleasantries. It makes this even more awkward." Mary made a fist; bunching up the sheet that covered her.

Serafina straightened, bow in hand, "Mary, why did you call for me?"

"I...needed to see you. I _had_ to see you." Mary's eyes never left the witch's face, but Serafina only asked:

"Whatever for?"

Mary Malone was so young compared to this centuries-old daughter of the earth, was struck dumb in her presence, eyes cast to the floor for the witch's wisdom, her thinly-veiled ferocity, her unsurpassable beauty, that she could barely speak the words, yet all the same, they were spoken, soft and shy.

"You never gave him a name."

She forced herself to look up at the witch-queen and saw her pass over to where the two bird-dæmons were perched on the back of the chair.

Serafina held out a graceful, long-fingered hand, and, without hesitation, Mary's chough-dæmon hopped onto the proffered hand that was not his woman's.

The shock of forbidden contact pierced Mary; a thrill of sudden sensual knowledge that made her tremble violently.

Serafina bent her beautiful head to whisper to the nameless dæmon, and a shining thread of understanding shimmered within Mary's mind.

She knew his name.

He knew his name.

Mary cried; cried like a child and didn't even hear the clatter as Serafina discarded her weapons in a moment to come to her side, didn't hear the soft breath of wings taking flight, but the sudden awareness of Kaisa pressing his face gently to hers was the most unexpected, beautiful moment of her life. And she embraced him, knowing next to nothing of his infinite knowledge and wisdom, but loving him still, unfamiliar feathers sliding soft, softer than memory could capture, under her fingers; the goose crooning softly to her, a voice she'd never heard before but inexplicably knew, knew him in her bones, in every sinew that held her together, in every cell that made up her body and every atom that made up her dæmon, they both knew Serafina and Kaisa from before either of them knew themselves.

Serafina kissed Mary then, her lips cool and kind, kissed her lovingly, but let her decide whether to return the offer. And Mary kissed her back, so fiercely and full of want that Serafina cried aloud, her voice harsh and victorious, unable to keep the ferocity of her desire silent and secret. The no-longer-nameless dæmon fluttered from her palm and over to his human, chirruping and cuddling up to her and the goose-dæmon still in her arms.

Serafina placed both of her pale, cool hands on Mary's cheeks, kissing her again and again, then parting her lips and Mary welcomed the witch's tongue sliding against hers and moving slick over her teeth, both their mouths moist and damp.

Kaisa had left Mary's arms but was right there beside the two women, nestling close against the chough-dæmon, both tenderly preening each other.

Mary slid her arms around Serafina's neck, the witch had one arm around Mary's waist and was pulling the sheets away with the other, showing her to be wearing nothing but a loose, old t-shirt and cotton underpants. Mary felt insignificant pressed against the immortal woman and wanted to cover herself, but instead exhaled, and felt her anxieties leave her.

Serafina felt Mary's fingers tugging at her silks, apparently searching for a catch or parting in the sheer material, but Serafina laughed and, in one fluid movement, swept her hand over her breastbone and drew the black wisps of silk away as if they were cobwebs, and sat before Mary, bare and without shame.

Serafina's skin shone alabaster in the moonlit room, her nipples stark in contrast against the white fullness of her breasts. Freckles dotted her entire body, some dark spots placed over the expanse of her stomach, one under her right breast, and two just above the dusting of hair between her milky thighs and Mary found herself holding her breath in awe of such exquisite beauty, feeling herself to be inadequate, but not shying away from the witch as she might from another woman. Mary pulled her shirt over her head and Serafina smiled.

Mary was still tanned from the time she spent with the mulefa, and it showed; she had gone without clothing many times, to the innocent but powerful curiosity of Atal and the other mulefa. Mary's skin echoed the coat of a young doe, a beautiful tawny brown, but she had bronzed in the sun of the seed-pod-trees' world to a dusky copper, and her skin glowed in the darkened room.

She felt such a powerful hunger to touch and taste the witch-queen, but had barely had a moment to acknowledge the desire she felt when Serafina's smooth fingers were cupping her flesh and deep pink lips were descending upon her petite breasts, Mary thought no more. Serafina's mouth was mercury and velvet, exquisite torture. Mary's fingers wound their way into Serafina's hair, holding the witch against her breast, the clean, sweet scent of the flowers reached her and she trembled, making Serafina pull away from her and sit back.

"Mary," she said, "If you're not sure-"

"I am! Oh, Serafina, I-" she felt tears running down her cheeks and wiped them away, "I don't even know how many others you've loved, but I want you more than I have ever wanted anyone," she said, and mean it.

Serafina kissed her deeply, pushing her to lie back on the bed and pressing her palm between Mary's legs, making her catch her breath sharply in anticipation. Serafina pulled the pale lavender underwear down Mary's legs and cast them away, to be forgotten in an instant.

Mary filled her hands with Serafina's heavy breasts; pale and freckled, full, warm, and soft beyond imagining. She'd wanted to touch the witch in this way for such a long time she'd never even know for how long. Mary couldn't breathe. There was no air in her lungs, every square millimentre of space was filling up with Serafina, the pine-floral-aurora-moonlight-earth-sex scent of her, the feel of her, the taste of her filled Mary's senses and when Serafina filled Mary with her fingers, the mortal woman cried out under the witch and tossed her head to the side, her cheek brushing against the feathers of one of their dæmons, but she knew not which.

**Author's Note:**

> this was the result of two hours writing on my phone at night, I had to get this out of me because it hurt. and I never knew that I loved these two together but, as it turns out, I do. 
> 
> I hope to continue this.


End file.
